The present invention relates generally to the field of vehicle safety systems of the type utilizing an inflatable confinement. More particularly, this invention relates to a cartridge and cartridge receiving chamber for use in such systems.
A great deal of effort is being given to the problem of increasing the safety of passenger vehicles. As well as trying to increase the safety of the vehicle itself, considerable effort is being given to the development of passive restraint systems which will protect the occupant of the vehicle from injury due to impact without the necessity of the occupant taking any positive action.
One type of passive restraint system which has been developed utilizes an inflatable confinement such as a bag which is automatically inflated in response to a predetermined condition such as an impact to or the upsetting of the vehicle to protect the occupant from contacting the interior of the vehicle and injuring himself.
The present invention is concerned with a vehicle safety system which utilizes a propellant charge for the generation of hot gas. The hot gas from the propellant charge can be the sole source of inflating the confinement, can be used with ambient air, or, in accordance with the preferred embodiment, used to augment a stored fluid.
Prior to the present invention, systems of this type utilized a propellant storage chamber in which would be placed a nozzle, a metallic sleeve, a separate propellant charge inside the sleeve, and a closure member in which the ignitor is mounted. The closure member normally would be threaded into the storage chamber. In the case of an augmented system wherein a fluid reservoir is used for storing a gas, the propellant storage chamber is operably connected to the reservoir. In the usual course of operation, the reservoir and cartridge chamber would be constructed, the reservoir filled with the appropriate fluid under pressure, and the components including the propellant charge mounted in the propellant storage chamber at the suppliers location. The entire unit must then be shipped to where it can be installed in the vehicle.
Due to shipping regulations because of the propellant charge, the inflator unit must be equipped with a shipping cap for safety purposes. The necessity of a shipping cap adds to the expense of the unit as well as requiring additional manufacturing and assembling steps.